S Korean TV show filming in Taiwan may help tourism

Staff writer, with CNA

A popular South Korean television variety show started shooting in Taiwan on Wednesday in collaboration with the Tourism Bureau, which said that this kind of partnership could help promote travel to Taiwan.

Bureau officials said Grandpas Over Flowers, a TV series documenting four South Korean senior citizens’ travels abroad, will feature Taiwan in its second season.

“The show could help establish Taiwan as an ideal travel destination for seniors,” said Cheng Yi-ping (鄭憶萍), section chief at the bureau’s International Travel Division.

Cheng said the bureau has been helping with arranging the TV crew’s itinerary and consultations on filming in popular tourist spots, such as Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge.

About 260,000 South Koreans visited Taiwan last year, with those aged over 60 accounting for 12 percent, she said.

Filming in Taiwan is expected to take about a week. The show will start airing in South Korea late next month, Cheng added.